Chapter 35 — Susie & Solomon II

The smile on Susie's face widened. It was a sun-drenched thing.​「Really father, you’ll really do it?」​Solomon looked at his daughter, his hair and pupils a calm Royal Blue.​「Yes, besides, it will be good for our house to have guests every once in a while.」​Natsumi’s Mom shifted uncomfortably. 「Um, I have a question.」​Solomon gestured politely. 「Sure, go ahead.」​「I need to know about the bathroom situation...」 The other mothers instantly began to whisper their agreement.​Susie waved a dismissive hand. 「That’s okay! For some odd reason there’s twenty-two bathrooms in our house. Father, why are there twenty-two bathrooms in our house?」​Solomon sighed, a faint smile playing on his lips. 「Well, back then, every other version of me had an opinion on how we should build the house, and they didn’t like the fact we had less than four bedrooms and four bathrooms.」​「So how did you end up with eleven rooms and twenty-two bathrooms?」​「Random number generator...」​Susie froze, her eyes widening. 「You can’t be serious!」 Her hair instantly reverted back to Sepia, and she switched fully back to Shizuko.​Solomon was already switching, his hair turning Brown and his voice deepening.​「Solomon has a point on that, marshmallow. We're the most unserious when left to ourselves.」​Shizuko sighed softly, a sound of gentle exasperation.​JJ chuckled. 「Don’t stress yourself out on it.」​「Okay.」​JJ lifted his phone, his Brown eyes focused. He made a phone call, and a department store manager answered, appearing on a small hologram above the device.​DSM: ⟦Err... Mr. Samuels, what do you want?⟧​「What’s with the aggression in your voice?」​DSM: ⟦Tch.⟧​「Look, I need twenty-two qu—」​The DSM cut him off, a defiant sneer crossing his holographic face.​DSM: ⟦No, I won’t.⟧​「What?」​DSM: ⟦I won’t take orders from a halfo like you.⟧​JJ took a deep, slow breath, a heavy silence settling over the room. 「I don’t know who’s paying you to say that, but you’re going to regret it.」​The DSM laughed outright, a sharp, arrogant sound.​JJ quickly called Kaiser, and the hologram screen split in two. 「Kaiser.」​Kaiser: ⟦Yes, JJ-san, do you need something?⟧​「Do you know this guy?」​Kaiser peered at the man on the other side of the screen. ⟦Yes, I do. He owes us a lot.⟧​「Alright. I don't want the money back, so just expose him. I want him broke, poor, and homeless within 24 hours.」​Kaiser: ⟦I don’t know what you did to piss JJ-san off, but good luck.⟧ Kaiser hung up.​JJ looked back at the terrified face of the DSM. 「I hope the person who paid you will take care of you, your wife, and your three kids... not to mention your two kids with your mistress.」​He hung up on the man, then immediately called Joe. 「Ay, Joe.」​Joe: ⟦Awe, boss, what do you need?⟧​「Twenty-two queen-sized mattresses, two 45-inch TVs, and two Ethernet routers.」​Joe: ⟦Alright, do you need anything else?⟧​「Nah, that’s all.」​Joe: ⟦Okay. I’ll have everything there tomorrow.⟧​「Aw, Joe.」 JJ ended the call.​Hana stared at him. 「Wow, that was... different.」​「What was?」 JJ asked, a bit confused.​「You just cutting the first guy off like that and ruining his life without theatrics.」​JJ offered a slight shrug. 「Darling, the people who are my enemies have more money than most countries on this planet, so I can’t waste time on a minor inconvenience.」​Hana giggled. 「Fair enough.」​JJ looked at Shizuko, her hair a deep Sepia. 「Shouldn’t your natural hair be jet black?」​Shizuko smiled faintly. 「Oh, it isn’t. This is what my natural hair color is—it’s Sepia.」​「Oh, okay. Let’s go home so I can get started on this project.」​Shizuko took his hand. 「Okay.」 The two of them left the classroom.​Emiko watched them go. 「Is it just me, or does JJ seem taller?」​Hana let out a quiet sigh of relief. 「It’s great to know I’m not the only one who feels that way.」​◽Later That Night◽
​Miyeon stared at JJ across the table, her expression measured. 「So let me get this straight: this summer, Shizuko’s soccer team will be here for the whole summer.」​「Yes.」​「And those girls’ parents agreed to it?」​「Yes. They said I can be trusted with their kids, considering what I did to save Mei, and the fact there are more women at this house now.」​「And you need all of our help while this training camp happens at the house.」​「That I do. If you don’t want to, I’ll understand.」​「That’s not what I mean. It’s just... there will be thirty-two other little humans in this house, JJ.」​「I know... Oh! That’s what you mean by that.」​「Yes. I don’t mind helping, but JJ, we’ll need some alone time, too.」​「I understand. But you know Solomon’s really into a woman who won’t crack under the pressure of being a stay-at-home mother with a lot of kids.」​A determined glint appeared in Miyeon's eyes. 「So, how long will those girls stay here?」​「The whole summer.」​「Alright. Jiyeon and Mei, you better make sure those girls feel at home.」​Jiyeon looked at Mei, and they both softly laughed.​「Hey, that’s mean!」 Miyeon protested.​「Sorry! It’s just you don’t act proper most of the time, so it’s good to see you finally do it,」 Jiyeon replied, trying to suppress her smile.​「Tch. I can’t help it if I’m more of a physical lover than an emotional one,」 Miyeon muttered.​「Alright, if you say so.」
​The air around JJ suddenly grew still. He subtly shifted, his Brown eyes momentarily flickering to the calm Royal Blue of his alter-ego.
​【Solomon: Jou MA Sê...】​JJ cut him off, a slight tremor in his voice. 【We got one Mom, remember.】